Help:Building cities
Possibilities Basilicus is setting up guidelines for nearly everything, the main thing to remember is that Basilicus is a fictional setting- and just about anything is possible, if it is explained properly. The only appropriate opposition to any work on Basilicus is that it was someone else's idea. Remember that these are only guidelines, and you are free to create a city of sentient quarks if you can explain how it works. Definitions The term "city" is used as a generic word to define several different entities, but there are far better terms to use than calling every settlement a city. Below is a list of these different types of settlement. But remember one underline theme, almost all settlements in a region or nation will have similar governmental and legal systems. Hamlet/Village A hamlet/village is a settlement with a population ranging from 1 to 5,000 inhabitants. Town A town is a settlement with a population ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 inhabitants. Towns, in general, are larger than a hamlet/village but smaller than a city. City A city is a settlement with a population ranging from 50,000 to 500,000 inhabitants. Metropolis A metropolis will have a population greater than 500,000 inhabitants within its core and more than a million inhabitants in the surrounding area. Megalopolis These form when two or more metropolises expand to the point that there is no more open land between them, thus combining into one massive city. Ultrapolis An immense city the size of a nation. Can be classed as a nation in terms of worldbuilding, as it may have districts and areas the size of cities. Eperopolis A city the size of a continent, formed when many megalopolises merge over several nations. Ecumenopolis A single city which covers the entire land, and sometimes ocean, surface of a world. There is no set rules that says that you have to use this naming scheme. Your civilization may only have one word to describe a city. But remember, as civilizations evolve so does their language; this will lead to them creating words to define different size cities in their society. Common features of cities Name Cities derive their names for a host of different reasons. A large majority of cities are named after the people or person that founded the city, but some are named after locations, symbols or ideals. Others have changed names so often that the original name can be lost to history or combined to create a totally new name. Think long and hard about what you are going to name a city. You may come up with one off the top of your head, but later find that is does not fit within the society later on. Having to go back through dozens of pages to correct this, can be a daunting task. Also look at how you spell this name. Tr'avvillianiea may sound and look like an impressive name, but say it out loud a couple of times. You will notice how hard it becomes to say, not to mention how easy Location The first thing you will need, is a map of the region/nation that you city will be located. The reason for this is, first creating a city than trying to create the land around it will lead to problems. A good example of this is a city that sits in an open valley only to be surrounded by mountains, later. The city has now just been cut off from the rest of the region, making trade and travel far more difficult. Also, cities of different regions/nations rarely exist next to each other. Once you've skewered your map and found the ideal location. You will need to indicate which region or nation the city belongs to, if the nation is divided into states, then that will also need to be noted. If you haven't named the regions or nations yet, don't worry about it; just make the planet the location, you can always change it later. Asteroids and Space Stations Cities that are located on an asteroid or space station will have their own unique problems. The first and for most being, there will be no rebellions or civil wars in these types of cities. The reason being, they have a finite amount of resources. They are completely dependent on the equipment to keep them alive. If rebels start destroying this equipment, then everyone dies. This does not mean that there can not be great political intrigue and assassinations of leaders. Just remember the one golden rule: the quickest way to kill yourself off is to start destroying the life support systems and kill the technicians off. Economy Economics is the life blood of a city. Without it, the city will falter and die. This can be seen in the different Gold Rushes throughout the 1800's. Now this is where the map is needed the most. Look at were you have placed the city, and then look at the surrounding area. What surrounds the city: mountains, rivers, oceans, plains, forests? Any one of these can create an economic base. Mining in the mountains, fishing and port cities along rivers and oceans, agriculture in the plains, lumber from forests. As a city grows, dependence on local resources may dwindle and the city gives way to a more commercial economy. Cities that have limited resources or have to import these resources will have to manage this carefully. If a city start to take more resources in than it is able to create and sell produces from these resources, this can create an economic crisis. The same is true if the city start to run low on resources. Infrastructures Hamlets and villages will have little need for water treatment plant, let alone the funds to build such a facility. Most of the inhabitants will get their water from a stream/river or wells. The most they will probably need is a mayor and some kind of law enforcement. But once these small communities start to grow, the need for advance infrastructures will become vital. Large groups of people in a concentrated area can quickly lead to epidemics and civil unrest. Listed below are some of the vital infrastructures that will be needed to keep a city growing and healthy: *Government *Law Enforcement *Judicial *Sanitation *Transportation *Entertainment *Healthcare These are just a few of the thing you will need to think about, when creating your cities. More will be added as well as list items. ---- An important thing you can do (to help you understand how a city is laid out) is take a key map of the city you live in and look over it. Note were government building are located. Most of them will be in the downtown area of a city. Take a look at were police station and fire station are located, do they show a pattern or are they just placed at random. Most like they will have a pattern. City planners spend a great deal of time determining were best to places these police and fire station. This is so that they can server the largest amount of people within the least amount of time. Category:Help